Olitho

Dateline: SCCA Double National at Buttonwillow Raceway

Well Sunday was my most exciting race ever to date.

The first five laps or so were incredible. The track was damp from over night rain and I decided to qualify on some Goodyear GSCS tires. That was a bad choice. I landed third on the grid behind Solley in the Ferrari and Humrick in his Z06. This was my first time ever not on the pole of a race! Saturday I qualified on the pole and lead from green flag to checkered.

I was looking forward to what I knew would be close racing action. I was not disappointed. My novice exuberance caused me to fail to successfully complete several great passing opportunities. Just a small adjustment here or there and I could have made it work. Matt Humrick was also all over me today.

I spin out, damage my alignment and limp on for second place. Matt and Mike tangle in turn. Matt punches the side of Michael's car turning onto the front straight and takes out his Ferrari by breaking the transaxle! Matt wins, I get second and poor Solley gets a DNF. Here is the link to that action.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...72625368571535

Thanks Sean and the crew at Orange County Corvette for prepping me a great car!

All of you are great friends, thanks for letting me share my latest avocation.



Oli

CHJ In Virginia

Great video - thanks for sharing. That was quite a run you had with the Ferrari until the spin !

StArrow68

Thanks Oli, great seeing you doing well, too close for those of us with
street cars but enjoy the in car view and data. You were faster in
several points but the F-car seemed to have lots of power and got on
the gas early most places. Love 25, I think, in either CW or especially
CCW. Hope to see you out for some practice later in the summer.
Randy

AMERICANMUSL

Nice blocking! Can't believe that Ferrari pulled onthe straits like that!!
Ed

John Shiels

Aardwolf

I always like watching your vids, thanks!

TicketBait

Oli,Great Driving---Great Video--that was a super exciting race.. ..

Falcon

Great video! That F-car was making you work for anything.

Olitho

Yeah, Michael Solley was making me work for everything. He has a bunch of racing experience in SCCA, Ferrari Challenge and more recently Rolex GrandAm. He is not easily intimidated. I was counting on that to work at some places like the esses, but he did not budge an inch. In other spots he drove a defensive line.

I lap real fast, but I lack the serious local competition to work me over from the front or behind when on the track. That lack of experience shows on this video. I see three clear chances to make a clean pass, but I over-cooked the corner when I did not need to, etc.

I learned a lot this weekend. More so than any of my other races this year. I guarantee I will be much more wicked, but measured next time.

Oli

BBQ

killer video. thanks for sharing. I think you had the better car for the conditions. You will win that race next time...once you gain even more experience.
btw...how many cars in the race, 3?

Olitho

It was a 25 car field, but only three cars in T1. The AS cars, the T2, T3 and other classes just got left in the dust.

M_Minnick

Awesome job Oli! I was there cheering you on Saturday, I guess I should have come back to see Sunday's action.

Mike

Olitho

Hi Mike,

Saturday was not much of a race. If I had remembered to turn on my in car video, all it would show is clear track, both in front and in back, until about lap 10 when I start lapping the back-makers. I had a pretty wide lead most of the time Saturday.

Would you say that is a fair assesment?

Oli

rasrboy

Thanks for the Video Oli! AWESOME!

Hans Delbruck

Not much traction when you slide the left rear off at BW, huh?

OMG that was insane and brought back some memories I didn't know I had.... I was scared just watching the video! THANKS

I think you've found your calling, Oli!
Best of luck in the next one! Great job! WOW.

M_Minnick

Very fair. It was great listening to the guys next to me(first time at track) saying "WOW that Vette is smoking that Ferrari" lol.

0Randy@DRM

Great sprint race!!! My wife told me twice, to turn down the speakers. I had my ears to the downshifts. You have a bad habit, (I do also) on down shifting. It is hard on timming chains- trannies to rev fast and hard. It is very easy for me to say that sitting on my chair next to the computer eating pasta. I'm just trying to help

Randy

kentz06

Sunday was also my most exciting race ever, probably because it was also my first. My Z stayed parked in the pits and I raced a well preped and sorted Miata in two classes, Spec Miata and ITA. Don't laugh cause I know it ain't no Vette but boy do they go around the corners well.

During the weekend I was passed a dozen times or so by a C6 Z06 (we shared the track when I was running in class ITA). Several passes occured at corner entry. Our in corner speeds weren't much different but the Oxygen masks would deploy every time when accelerating out. It was sure fun to watch.

It was my first time ever driving a Miata and the first time at Portland in ten years (previously racing a Ducati 955). I was 5 seconds a lap slower than the fastest Miatas, but the car finished undamaged and I learned a lot. Seattle is next in four weeks!

Olitho

Here is a high resolution version of this video. It is a much better picture than provided via Google Video and You Tube.

This is a track oriented website dedicated to pictures and videos. There is some good stuff here:

http://www.trackhq.com/forums/photop...php/photo/6483

frank dupuy

The close competition between the three cars made for some exciting video. Thanks for the show.